Never Cross an Irish Fairy

Turtle Bunbury posts lots of interesting stories about Ireland on Facebook, and recently he shared an article about the notoriously vengeful Irish fairies.

Michael Fortune, folklorist and filmmaker, writing at an Irish publication called the Journal, says that “there’s not a village in the country that doesn’t have these fairy stories. Our folklore tell us that they inhabit certain places: bushes, stones, corners of fields and especially old enclosures which number 40,000 plus around the country. …

“It’s generally claimed that we have lost some 10,000 since they were first mapped in the 19th century and this is mostly due to mechanisation and developments in agriculture, land reclamation etc.

“Growing up on the coast of Wexford my own late father brought me to every raheen in our area, while in the same breath showed me the spots where others once stood and most importantly, told me who was involved in removing them and the consequences they suffered. …

” ‘It’s not worth the risk,’ I repeatedly hear from farmers. …

“When the landscape changed due to developments in agriculture and field formation over the centuries, these physical spaces were left behind, untouched and this is where your fairy paths come into play. …

“We literally have thousands of stories relating to the consequences of building/interfering on such paths recorded in our archives or alive in the stories of communities around the country. …

“In extreme cases I’ve seen houses abandoned due to the torment brought on by the fairies. And if your DIY skills couldn’t fix it, you’d call for some outside expertise and I’m not talking Dermot Bannon here with his concepts of light and open spaces. No, more along the lines of those those ancient Druid like fellas with their prayers, magic water and long flowing cape ie the local parish priest.

“Although Rome mightn’t have agreed with their actions, there are numerous accounts of priests being brought in to perform exorcisms of sorts on such houses all over the country. In my own village in Wexford one such story still survives of a priest who was brought into a house which the fairies visited every night and after ‘driving the fairies out, he died three weeks later as a result of his efforts.’ Such was the power of the fairies.” More at the Journal, here.

I loved Fortune’s video of two believers. I especially loved their brogue since I failed to record James‘s speech, and now he’s gone.

Film: Michael Fortune
Two men discuss encounters with the fairies in Ireland.